Baylor in Thailand

One Health: Exploring Global Health and Conservation Medicine in Thailand

“One Health” reflects the core concept in global health that we are deeply connected with our environment, that our health is influenced by how the health of nonhuman animals (wildlife and livestock) is managed throughout the world, and that our health ultimately affects the sustainability of ecosystems. It calls upon the collaboration of physicians, veterinarians, public health professionals, ecologists, policy makers, and others to identify the complex environmental causes of infectious diseases and provide possible interventions. It focuses, in part, on describing the ecological and population factors responsible for the emergence and reemergence of infectious diseases in humans and nonhuman animals, emphasizing the interrelationships among our species.

This course involves travel to Thailand where we will discuss One Health, Global Health, conservation medicine, emerging infectious diseases, indigenous medicine/ethnomedicine, and other related topics. We will work with researchers at Chiang Mai University in public health, medicine, and veterinary medicine. We will meet with local villagers to learn about traditional healthcare systems, as well as meet with researchers and volunteers at several wildlife sanctuaries. We will conduct survey research at a minimum of five different elephant sanctuaries and learn about their conservation. Elephants are an excellent example of extreme efforts in conservation medicine because they are very susceptible to human tuberculosis. Other activities include language and culture lessons, hiking and sacred temple visits, cooking lessons with lots of street food, and plenty of time for handicraft shopping.

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